Participating in a Clinical Trial for Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Drug Trials

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease with no known cure. Researchers have made great strides in recent years in understanding more about the disease. Researchers explore genetic factors in Alzheimer’s disease. Other areas of study focus on enhancing the screening and diagnosing techniques. Other areas of research include improving the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s disease and investigating how a healthy diet and lifestyle may reduce one’s risk of developing it in later life.

How do drug trials differ for other Alzheimer’s research?

Drug trials differ from other Alzheimer’s research in that their principal focus is on how drugs affect Alzheimer’s.

Types of Drug Trials

There are two main types of drug treatment trials for Alzheimer’s. The first type seeks to reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms and the second type aims to slow or stop the progression of the disease.

Drug treatments that try to reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s will test new drugs or different forms of existing drugs. They may study how changing the dosage of an existing drug might reduce or delay symptoms. They may research how changes in the timing of a drug’s delivery might reduce or delay symptoms. They may also study how a drug’s pairing with another medication might reduce or delay symptoms.

Drug treatments that try to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s will test new drugs. Some of these drugs will treat Alzheimer’s in a completely different or experimental way.